Friday, September 30, 2011

Per capita CO2 emissions in 15 worst countries, 2006-2010

The Netherlands' Environmental Assessment Agency (or PBL, Planbureau voor de Leefomgeving) published its own assessment of global CO2 emissions by country.
How much CO2 have the 2010's 15 worst emitters been spewing out into the atmosphere over the past five years?

Figure. CO2 emissions per capita from fossil fuel use and cement production
(Source: PBL, 2011)

Even after the global financial crisis began in 2008, five countries (Saudi Arabia, South Korea, China, Indonesia, and India) didn't stop increasing per capita CO2 emissions. Never.

They are not worse than USA or Russia who are emitting enough greenhouse gases. However, the five countries' ceaseless emissions growth makes their efforts for climate change mitigation well short of that of other countries. We can see the evidence from the following figure. It is comparing each country's pledges to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 2020.